Snow. Ice. Wind. Winter. 4 words that can cause some of us great joy; immediate thoughts of cosying up by the fire, watching TV with some food and maybe a cup of tea. There’s nothing better, bliss. This isn’t the thought we all have unfortunately, in fact, roughly 42% of those in Northern Ireland have a completely different thought this Winter. And that thought revolves around one thing, money. It’s an expensive time of year too, things you didn’t have to think about in the (slightly) warmer months such as heating your home, entertaining the kids and the big one; Christmas. 42% of us struggle to heat our homes and live in what is known as ‘fuel poverty’. Fuel poverty is defined as spending more than 10% of your household income on heating your home.

There are 3 main causes of fuel poverty:

  1. Low Household Income – This will cause the cost of heating a home to take up an above average percentage of the household income.
  2. Fuel Costs – The current rising price of home heating oil is due to a fall in value of the sterling and a recent announcement by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that limited oil barrel exports. Unfortunately, this means that the price for home heating oil has risen by 22% in the past month (Sept ’16 – Oct ’16) and will have an impact on how much disposable income the average consumer is left with this Winter.
  3. Energy Efficiency – Your homes capability to retain heat is one of the main driving forces in heating oil consumption with many people not having adequate insulation in their loft; cavity walls or windows. Also not having an adequately working boiler will also impact on your homes energy efficiency.

 

What can you do?

  • Insulation – Try and insulate your house as best you can, it may seem like an unnecessary expense but it will save you money in the long term and will pay for itself
  • Service your boiler – A regularly serviced boiler can save a household upwards of £140 per year.
  • Pre-payment Scheme – At ValueOils.com we offer a scheme that allows you to pay for your heating oil in advance which will make the order more bearable.
  • Fuel Allowances – If you find yourself struggling to keep up with payments; we fully recommend that you get in contact with your local benefits office or Citizens Advice Bureau and enquire about what you’re entitled too. There’s no point suffering in silence.
  • Order in Advance – Try and place your order before the Winter months settle in when the prices are cheaper but if this isn’t an option then we would recommend you order as soon as possible as the current price of oil only seems to be on the increase at the moment.

We’re here at all times at ValueOils.com in order to answer whatever queries you may have and point you in the right direction. You can contact us on 028 9083 4055 or by email: customerservice@valueoils.com or by using our live chat service! #HereForYou